Automatic firearm.



P. M. MENTEYNE & P. A. DEGAILLE.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 11, 1912.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0-,WASHINDTON, D. c.

P. M. MENTBYNE & P. A. DEGAILLE.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM. APPLICATION FILED APR-11,1912.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

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COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH C0.,\VASNINOTON. n. l:v

UNITED snares PATENT orr on PAUL MARIE MEN'IEYNE AND PIERRE ALBIN DEGAILLE, 0F PARIS, FRANCE.

AUTOMATIC FIREARM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 22, 1913.

Application filed April 11, 1912. Serial No. 689,993.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, PAUL lvIARIE MEN- TEYNE, of 32 Rue Lemercier, Paris, Republic of France, engineer, and PIERRE ALBIN DE- GAILLE, of 85 Rue de Mnilmontant, Paris, Republic of France, mechanical engineer, have invented Improvements in Automatic Firearms, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The present invention has for its object improvements in automatic firearms, in which the operations of charging, and of extraction and ejection of the empty cartridge cases are effected automatically by the simple working of the mechanism and without the firer having to intervene in these operations otherwise than to press upon the trigger each time he desires to fire. These arms are generally furnished with a magazine containing a given number of cartridges which are introduced successively into the barrel chamber and by the action alone of the mechanism after each shot. The invention comprises: 1st. A piece called repetition arrester, which, arranged to occupy two different positions, permits, in one of these positions, the automatic charging of the cartridges contained in the magazine and prevents such charging in the other position according to the will of the firer. 2nd. A mechanism in combination with the repetition arrester permitting of warning the firer when the magazine is void of cartridges by maintaining for this purpose, the breech open when the last cartridge from the magazine has been shot.

The invention relates to a firearm operating automatically by utilization of the recoil.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional elevation, showing the mechanism. Fig. 2 is a plan showing the respective positions of the lever 4, of the piece 7 and of the repetition arrester in the position for automatic firing. Fig. 3 is a plan showing the same parts in the position for single shot firing. Fig. 4 is a rear view of the repetition arrester in the position it occupies when there are cartridges in the magazine, which position corresponds with automatic repetition firing. Fig. 5 is a rear view bf the repetition arrester in the position for automatic firing, but after the last cartridge has been extracted from the magazine and at the moment when it acts to maintain the breech in its open position.

The barrel, the breech block and the firing pin, after the firing, recoil together, being then connected the one to the other. At the end of the recoil, the firing pin, by a suitable notch, hooks onto the nose of a lever, which retains it in this position, as also the breech block which it controls, while the barrel returns alone to its initial position. But when it has arrived at this position the barrel should act upon the said lever to liberate the firing pin and the breech block, so that these parts, under the influence of the percussion spring, return to their closing position by pushing before them, if required, a new cartridge from the magazine, so as to introduce it into the barrel chamber ready for firing. In Fig. 1, the firing pin 1 and the breech block 2 are shown held in their rearward position by the nose 3 of the lever 4, which is pivoted on a fixed pin 5 and is pushed into engagement with the firing pin by a spring a. The lever 4 is provided, perpendicularly to the axle pin 5, with a trunnion (3, upon which is mounted a lever 7, which has at its front end, a pin 8 and at its rear end a beak 9. The lever 7 can move horizontally around its trunnion 6. This lever 7 is provided with a spring 10 which ordinarily holds it applied against the lever In this position the beak 9 of the lever 7 is placed facing a projection 11 and in line with it. This projection 11 is formed on the barrel extension 12 and is consequently car ried rearward with it, when the barrel is in recoil; but when the barrel returns to the firing position, the projection 11 bears on the beak 9 of the lever 7 and forces it downward, which has the effect of carrying clownward with it the lever 41: and consequently of liberating the firing pin 1 by disengaging it from the nose 3.

From the foregoing it will be understood that if the lever 7 is moved around its trunnion 6 so that the beak 9 is no longer presented in front of the projection 11 0f the barrel extension 12, the lever 4 will no longer be operated by the return into firing position of the barrel and the breach will remain open. The combination of this arrangement with the repetition arrester permits of producing exactly the movement of the lever 7 as above so as to hold the breech open: 1st, when the magazine is void of cartridges; 2nd, when it is desired to use the fire arm for hand charging with separate cartridges without utilizing those contained in the magazine.

For this purpose the magazine 13 is provided at the rear with a U-shaped piece 1& which applieetto the rear faceand partially embraces the side faces of the magazine. This piece let, the lateral arms 15 and 18 of which grip the rims of the upper cartridges, forms the repetition arrester. It. can occupy two positions bysliding vertically upon the magazine. In the lower position, it retains the cartridges below the breech block, so that the latter can move without touching them; in the upper position the cartridges are presented in succession before the head of the breech block when this latter is in its rearward position, so that when the breech block. returns to the front it effects the charging of the barrel.

The side arm 15 of the repetition arrester 14 is arranged to act as a spring with the object of closing by approaching the opposite arm, when there are no cartridges interposed between them. This arm is bent at its rear on the rear face of the magazine and is made in the form of a cam having two steps 16 and 17 it can operate the lever 7 mounted on the lever 41 by means of the pin '8 of. the lever 7 which bears against one of the cam steps 16 or 17 of the spring arm 15 according to position.

IVhen the repetition arrester 14 occupies the upper position corresponding to automatic repetition firing and so long as there are cartridges in the magazine the pin 8 of the lever 7 bears against the step 16 of the arm 15. In this position the lever 7 is caused to bear against the lever 4L and its beak 9 comes in line with the projection 11 of the barrel 12, that is to say, that at each return into firing position of the latter, the lever & is lowered, the firing pin liberated, the breech block returned to the front and a new charging effected. But as soon as the last cartridge has been extracted from the magazine, the space between the arm 15 and the opposite arm 18, being no longer maintained by the cartridges, the arm 15 closes by approaching the arm 18; during this movement the step 16 pushes the pin 8 of the lever 7, the beak 9 of which moves away from before the barrel projection 11 so that the lever 4; is no longer operated by the return into firing posit-ion of the barrel and the firing pin with the breech block are retained in their open position by the nose 8 of the lever at. To close the breech, it is then necessary, by suitable means, to lower the lever at and liberate the firing pin.

Vhen the repetition arrester occupies its lower position, the cam step 17 of the repetition arrester 14: pushes the pin 8 of the lever 7, thus producing the same effect as when the magazine is void of cartridges. In this case the firearm can be fired without utilizing the cartridges contained in the magazine, by charging by hand with separate cartridges. The breech remains open after each shot and it is closed after each introduction of a cartridge into the chamber by a special operation consisting in lowering by hand the levers Claims:

1. In a firearm, in combination, a recoilable barrel, a breech block, a firing pin, a magazine, means adapted to hold the breech block and firing pin in open position after the firearm has been discharged, means normally adapted to be actuated by the-barrel as it returns to its normal position to release said holding means and means for rendering said last mentioned means inoperative.

2. In a. firearm, in combination, a recoil able barrel, a breech block, a firing pin, a magazine, means adapted to hold the breech block and firing pin in open position after the firearm has been discharged, means normally adapted to be actuated by the barrel as it returns to its normal position to release said holding. means, and means operatively associated with said magazine for rendering said last mentioned means inoperative.

In a firearm, in combination, a recoilable barrel, a breech block, av firing pin, a magazine, means adapted to hold the breech block and firing pin in open position after the firearm has been discharged, means normally adapted to-be actuated by the barrel as it returns to its normal position to release said holding means, and means slidingly as sociated with said magazine for rendering said last mentioned means inoperative.

4:. In a firearm, in combination, a recoilable barrel, a breech block, a firing pin, a magazine, means adapted to hold the breech block and firing pin in open position after the firearm has been discharged, means normally adapted to be actuated by the barrel as it returns to its normal position to release said holding means, and a movable member associated with said magazine, said member being provided with a portion adapted when the member is in one of its positions to normally render said last mentioned means inoperative, whereby the firearm may be used as a single loader, said member being provided with a second portion, adapted when the member is in its other position, to render said last mentioned means inoperative only when the last cartridge leaves the magazine.

5. In a firearm, in combination, a recoilable barrel, a breech block, a firing pin, a magazine, means adapted to hold the breech block and firing pin in open position after the firearm has been discharged, means normally adapted to be actuated by the barrel as it returns to its normal position to release said holding means, and cartridge engaging means adapted to render said last mentioned means inoperative when the last cartridge leaves the magazine.

6. In a firearm, in combination, a recoilable barrel, a breech block, a firing pin, a magazine, means adapted to hold the breech block and firing pin in open position after the firearm has been discharged, means normally adapted to be actuated by the barrel as it returns to its normal position to release said holding means, and spring means normally tending to render said last mentioned means inoperative, said spring means being held from its normal position by the cartridges in the magazine whereby it Will assume its normal position only when the lastcartridge leaves the magazine.

The foregoing specification of our improvements in automatic firearms signed by me the said PAUL MARIE MENTEYNE, this thirtieth day of March 1912.

PAUL MARIE MENTEYNE. In the presence of ALFRED EDMOND TUGWooD, R. \VEsTAcoT'r. Signed by me, the said PIERRE ALBIN DE- GAILLE, this 2nd day of April 1912.

PIERRE ALBIN DEGAILLE. In the presence of- H. C. Coxn,

R. EHIRIoT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington. D. 0. 

